Williams Academy driver Franco Colapinto claimed his maiden win in F2, the second tier of the single-seater pyramid. Colapinto returned to Imola for the first time after 2022 where he scored his maiden win in FIA Formula 3. The Formula 2 rookie had a solid start to the weekend, finishing in the top 10 in the practice session and set the ninth fastest time in Qualifying that put him in second on the grid for the Sprint race.
Lining up on the on the dirty side of the track, Franco lost a position after the start dropping down to third before a massive collision behind him brought out of the Safety Car neutralising the race. The lights went green again on Lap 6. Colapinto reacted exceptionally well and started to chase down Cordeel. On the next lap, the Belgian’s mistake in the final corner opened the door and allowed Colapinto to overtake him for second place.
By lap 12 of 25, Franco reeled in Aron, closing up within DRS range, keeping the Estonian under constant pressure but it was the penultimate lap when the Argentinian arrived on the tail of the Estonian, went on a nail-biting final-lap chase, and took the lead with a stunning move in Tamburello, claiming his maiden Formula 2 victory in only his 4th race weekend while setting the fastest lap of the race.
Colapinto becomes the first Argentinian to win an FIA Formula 2 race and the 20-year-old from Buenos Aires dedicated this special triumph to a motorsport legend of his nation, Juan Maria ‘Flaco’ Traverso who passed away last week.
He started Sunday’s Feature Race from 9th on the grid on the supersoft compound and got a great launch off the line, improving one position by the end of the opening lap. He pitted for Medium tyres on Lap 8 and rejoined the race in P11, with 6 drivers ahead of him on alternate tyre strategy. Once all mandatory pit stops were completed with 5 laps to go, Colapinto was driving up in P5 and that is where he crossed the line, adding 10 more points to his tally.
The Argentinian MP Motorsport driver left Imola with 21 points in the bag, heading to Monaco in P7 in the standings.
“It was an amazing weekend. I am still buzzing about the win on Saturday. The car felt competitive and I am glad I could ride with Flaco into my first F2 victory. He was such an inspiration for me, so this win was for him. I am also happy I could give this win to MP Motorsport. They all worked very hard and we haven’t really had luck so far, but this time everything went smoothly and my pit stop was amazing. Big thanks to my sponsors and partners for their support. I can’t wait to go racing again this weekend in Monaco.”